Jesus Christ’s So-Called Great Commission/s:

In Galatians, as in Romans, grace and faith are juxtaposed (set side by side in comparison) to the Law. In Romans the Apostle Paul clearly teaches the doctrine of salvation by God’s Grace through faith and that the Law was set aside for a season, Romans 11:1 - 321 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel saying,

3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.

4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.

5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:

10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?

13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.

15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.

17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.

19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.

20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:

21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.

24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?

25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes.

29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:

31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

. It was necessary for Paul to write to the Galatians because many in the church there were being led away from Paul’s Grace message by false teachers who said it was still necessary to follow the law. (Note that in the early days after the Gospel of Grace was revealed to Paul, the 12 Apostles with the Jewish believers in Jerusalem were still following the law while believing that Jesus was their Messiah. Galatians 2:11 Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also.

-9 explains that in a meeting with Paul they agreed they would continue ministering to Israel and gave Paul their blessing to minister the Gospel of Grace to the Gentiles, to whom God had sent him.)

Galatians is as applicable to believers today as it was to the Galatians almost 2000 years ago because there are still many who either teach obedience to the law or a mishmash of doctrine combining the Law and the message of salvation by grace. Most frequently, this occurs because they fail to rightly divide the Word of God, 2 Timothy 2:1515 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

. Many confuse the Gospel of the Kingdom that Christ taught during His earthly ministry and that Peter and the Apostles continued to preach to the Nation of Israel with the mystery (secret) God revealed to the Apostle Paul for believers today. In this study we will review Words of The Lord Jesus Christ during the 40 days between His resurrection and when He ascended to Heaven. Some Bible teachers call these Words “Christ’s Great Commission,” however Scripture never names them as such. They are recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts and knowledge of them should prove that The Kingdom Gospel to Israel has been set aside for about 2000 years now.

Matthew:

Christ’s “Great Commission” to His apostles in Matthew 10 limited their preaching of the Kingdom to the Lost sheep of the house of Israel. However, during the 40 days between His resurrection and ascension He taught His Apostles on a mountain in Galilee:

• ◦ “All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:1818 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

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Mark:

Mark writes that immediately after Christ’s commission to the Apostles: “So after the Lord had spoken unto them He was received up into heaven…” Mark 16:1919 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

. Therefore, although the location where Christ spoke these words are not disclosed in Mark, we know from the account in Acts that this took place on the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem:

• ◦ “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Mark 16:15 - 1815 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

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Luke:

Luke also states that immediately after Christ’s Words (the commission) “and He led them out as far as to Bethany …. And it came to pass as He blessed them He was parted from them and carried up to heaven:”

• ◦ “Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” Luke 24:46 - 4946 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

48 And ye are witnesses of these things.

49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

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John:

The account in John was given just a week after the resurrection while Christ was in Jerusalem:

• ◦ “Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” John 20:21 - 2321 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

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Acts:

Acts records what Christ told his Apostles just before His ascension into heaven, as in Mark and Luke.

• ◦ “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of Me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And He said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:4 - 84 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

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Note that Christ’s Commission to Israel recorded in Mark, Luke and Acts occurred just before He ascended into heaven but His specific words are different in each account. However, there is no contradiction between them. We can be sure Christ said what is recorded in all three of the accounts. Each records some of what He said, therefore, put together they record all that is important of what He said on that occasion.

The 12 Apostles did not carry out the sum total of Christ’s charges to them. The reason being is that the rulers of the Nation of Israel did not accept Jesus as their Messiah and they persecuted any Jews who did believe. When the Jews stoned a Jew named Stephen to death for preaching that Jesus was their Messiah, Acts 6:55 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:

- Acts 7:2020 In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months:

a high ranking Pharisee named Saul stood by holding their garments, Acts 7:3838 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

; Acts 22:2020 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.

. Because of the Nation of Israel’s unbelief, God put the promises of Israel’s Kingdom on hold, even until today. Our next study will compare Christ’s Commissions to Israel with Saul’s conversation and his commission to Gentiles, Kings and the Nation of Israel, Acts 9:1515 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

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